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THE  LAST 

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FORTY 


FORTY 


TEN 


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NO,  I  don’t  believe  in  foreign  missions. 
That  is  all  there  is  to  that.  I’m  a  home 
mission  man.  I  think  it’s  plain  fool¬ 
ishness  to  go  spending  money  on  other  people 
in  lands  we  don’t  know  anything  about  as 
long  as  America  is  not  right.  Let’s  convert 
America.  Let’s  git  our  own  country  pure  of 
its  politics  and  the  churches  straightened  up 
at  home  before  going  elsewhere.  Anyhow, 
we  never  had  anything  to  do  with  making  the 
heathen  what  they  are,  and  why  bother  about 
them  when  there  is  so  much  to  do  at  home?  ” 
Thus  spoke  Farmer  Watkins.  And  he 
did  it  with  much  emphasis,  too,  for  had  he 
not  often  made  this  same  speech?-— so  often 
that  he  was  thoroughly  grounded  in  its  cor¬ 
rectness  ! 

His  neighbor.  Bates,  was  a  full  minute 
waiting  to  give  an  answer;  then  he  calmly 
asked  this  question:  “Thomas,  how  many 
acres  have  you  in  your  farm, — I  mean  the 
home  farm,  not  the  others?  ’’ 

“  One  hundred  thirty,’’  answered  Brother 
Watkins,  and  with  a  grin  he  added,  “  Well, 
it  looks  like  you’re  wanting  to  change  the 
subject  pretty  quick,  hey?  ’’ 

“  Just  a  moment,  please,  Thomas,”  inter¬ 
rupted  Brother  Bates.  “  One  hundred  and 
thirty  acres.  Now  if  I  recall  correctly  you 
have  three  forties  in  a  line,  one  behind  the 
other,  and  then  ten  acres  across  the  road  from 
the  main  tract  on  which  your  home  buildings 
are  located. 

“  You’re  right,”  replied  Brother  Watkins, 


“  Now,  Thomas,  while  I  may  not  be  near 
as  good  a  farmer  as  you  are,  permit  me  to 
make  a  suggestion  about  how  you  should 
farm  your  home  one  hundred  and  thirty.  It 
looks  to  me  like  you  are  not  taking  the  wise 
course  at  all.  Last  evening  I  saw  you  re¬ 
turning  from  a  hard  day’s  work  on  the  back 
forty,  the  one  lying  farthest  from  the  house. 
Evidently  you  are  getting  ready  to  sow  fall 
wheat,  for  you  were  bringing  back  your  plow 
and  harrow.  It  was  a  hot  day  as  we  all 
know  and  your  fine  horses  looked  all  fagged 
out.  You  certainly  are  foolish  to  work  so 
hard  cultivating  that  back  forty  and  expect 
good  crops  way  back  there.” 

‘‘Hold  on  there.  Brother  Bates!  ”  inter¬ 
rupted  Watkins. 

‘‘  Now  wait,  Thomas,”  insisted  Bates  and 
he  continued.  ”  I  understand  you  are  going 
to  put  a  new  fence  around  this  back  forty, 
tile  the  low  part  in  the  one  corner,  and  bring 
it  up  to  good  yielding.  Here  is  my  objec¬ 
tion  to  such  a  course.  Why  spend  time  and 
money  on  these  outlying  fields  like  this  back 
forty?  You  seemingly  forget  that  ten-acre 
tract  around  your  house  and  you  know  con¬ 
ditions  are  far  from  right  there.  Your  barn 
needs  paint,  the  out-buildings  need  repairing, 
the  wall  about  the  well  should  be  fixed  up, 
else  disease  may  come  to  your  family,  the 
garden  is  not  clear  of  weeds,  the  potato  patch 
needs  plowing,  the  front  yard  needs  mowing 
and  bare  spots  reseeding,  the  flower  beds  need 
new  late  varieties  and  the  drive  should  have 
some  fresh  gravel  on  it.  Surely  you  act  fool¬ 
ishly  to  go  back  to  that  farthest  forty  to  till 
it  until  you  get  this  home  ten  acres  up  to  the 


highest  state  of  fitness  and  beauty  possible. 
Now  honest,  Thomas,  in  the  light  of  what  you 
said  at  first,  am  I  not  correct  in  what  I  am 
telling  you?  ” 

For  a  moment  Farmer  Watkins  was  con¬ 
fused.  His  face  flushed.  But  he  was  a 
noble  man  who  meant  to  do  the  right,  and 
after  a  moment  he  straightened  up  and  look¬ 
ing  at  his  brother  with  clear,  kindly  eyes,  now 
swimming  in  tears,  he  said,  “  I  never  thot  of 
the  foreign  lands  in  that  way.” 

His  neighbor  seemingly  did  not  notice  the 
remark  as  he  spoke  further.  “Just  why  the 
Lord  made  the  world  as  he  has  I  do  not 
know,  but  he  seems  to  have  fenced  it  into 
different  fields.  There  is  the  India  field  and 
the  China  field  where  our  church  has  noble 
workers;  oh,  yes,  and  there  is  the  Scan¬ 
dinavian  field  where  we  have  others  doing 
splendid  work.  Then  there  are  other  fields 
of  our  Father’s  fencing  which  our  church  has 
not  yet  entered, — like  South  America  and 
Africa  and  Australia,  and  Russia  and  Persia. 
H  is  Son  meant  that  we  should  farm  the  back 
fields  when  he  in  his  last  words  talked  about 
the  ”  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth,”  and  if  we 
are  to  be  wise  husbandmen  for  him  I  am  sure 
that  in  these  back  forties  we  will  be  just  as 
anxious  that  WE  plow  and  sow  that  He  may 
reap  into  the  heavenly  garner  as  you  are  to 
cultivate  that  back  forty  of  your  home  farm. 
It  surely  would  be  just  as  foolish  to  keep  all 
his  laborers  in  America  till  America  is  pure 
as  it  would  be  to  confine  your  farming  to 
the  home  ten  till  you  have  it  just  what  you 
want  it  to  be.  And,  Brother  Watkins,  no 
one  knows  this  better  than  you  do.” 


“  I  have  no  more  to  say,  save  to  thank  you, 
Brother  Bates.  But  this  comes  to  me  now. 
I  am  too  old  to  go  and  farm  God’s  back 
forties  myself,  but  I  am  willing  to  send  a 
hand  to  work  in  my  place.  Count  on  me  to 
support  one  of  our  workers  on  ThE  LaST 

Forty.”  (j.  B.  R. 


Why  not  become  deeply  interested  in  one  of 
God’s  “  fortie’s  ”  and  intelligently  determine  in 
which  one  you  will  help  keep  a  ”  hand  at  work. 
THE  MISSIONARY  READING  COURSE  is  pre¬ 
pared  to  supply  this  very  need.  Cost  of  books 
nominal.  Reading  very  interesting  and  helpful. 
Will  prove  an  unmeasured  blessing.  Try  it. 

Full  information  sent  upon  request.  General 
Mission  Board,  Elgin,  Illinois. 


: 


5M-7-1918 


AND  UNTO  THE 
UHERMOST  PARTS 
OF  THE  EARTH 


AND  SAMARIA 


AND  JUDEA 


Beginning 

at 

Jerusalem 


